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Make a creamy vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce with just a few simple ingredients. This simple recipe makes for the perfect fall comfort food.
A healthy fall pasta sauce
Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall ingredients because it is so versatile. It is great roasted on its own, but I like it best blended into sauces and soups.
I decided to roast the squash with tomatoes, onions and simple seasonings to give the sauce a deeper flavor. Once roasted, the veggies are blended with pasta water to make a creamy smooth sauce.
What kitchen tools will I need to make this Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce?
- Sheet pan
- Parchment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Large pot
- Blender
- Mixing spoon
What ingredients will I need to make this creamy vegan pasta sauce?
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this healthy butternut squash pasta with just a few simple ingredients.
- Frozen cubed butternut squash
- Fresh chopped tomato
- Yellow onion
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried thyme
- Pasta
- Pasta water reserved from cooked pasta
Why use frozen butternut squash instead of fresh?
The only reason I use the frozen butternut squash is because it makes things way easier and saves time! I hate to peel, deseed, and chop fresh butternut squash.
I find it difficult and time consuming. Plus, frozen butternut squash is normally very affordable. It is most commonly available in the freezer section during the fall so I usually stock up on a few bags that I can use throughout the year.
If you prefer to use fresh butternut squash, that will work just fine! Follow the same steps as you would with the frozen squash.
Let’s make some Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce!
Step 1: Roast veggies in the oven
To begin, preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, place frozen cubed butternut squash, chopped tomatoes and sliced onion on the baking sheet.
Next, drizzle olive oil on top and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Then, mix to cover the vegetables evenly with oil and seasonings.
Bake at 450F for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Cook pasta and reserve pasta water
Then, while the veggies bake, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Before you drain the cooked pasta reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water and place in a blender.
Step 3: Blend sauce and mix with pasta
Next, take the cooked veggies hot from the oven and blend with the pasta water until a smooth sauce remains.
Finally, pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese or plant based parm alternative.
Step 4: Enjoy!
How long will this plant based butternut squash pasta keep in the fridge?
I recommend storing the cooked pasta and sauce separately for meal prep. You can keep the cooked sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you are eating some of the pasta immediately, you can toss some of the pasta in the sauce while its hot and store the rest separately.
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake and Blend
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A creamy vegan butternut squash pasta sauce made with simple healthy ingredients.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place frozen cubed butternut squash, chopped tomatoes and sliced onion on the baking sheet
- Drizzle olive oil on top and season with salt, pepper, and thyme
- Mix to cover the vegetables evenly with oil and seasonings
- Bake at 450F for 20 minutes
- While the veggies bake, cook the pasta according to package instructions
- Before you drain the cooked pasta reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water and place in a blender
- Take the cooked veggies hot from the oven and blend with the pasta water until a smooth sauce remains
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat
- Serve immediately with parmesan cheese or plant based parm
Keywords: butternut squash pasta sauce, creamy vegan pasta sauce, healthy butternut squash pasta
Omg! This is amazing! I followed the recipe with the exception of eyeballin’ the spices and it was so delicious. We topped with some grilled chicken breast but I barely touched it – I couldn’t stop eating the pasta!!
★★★★★
ah wonderful!!! Thank you!!
Oooo I’m going to try this! I bet it’d also make a bomb vegan/non mac’n’cheese.
Yes!!
SO easy and simple yet delicious. I couldn’t help but eat it just by the spoonful!
★★★★★
Wonderful!! Thank you!!!
I made this and it’s really good but mine didn’t come out as creamy and orange as yours. Any ideas why? I follow the recipe exactly but use fresh squash instead of frozen. How many cups does your 16oz frozen squash come out to?
BTW I love your recipes and your instagram – you are amazing!
Hi Lilian, It gets its orange color from the blend of butternut squash and tomatoes. Those each naturally have different vibrancies. My veggies may have just been more vibrant than yours! Fresh squash thats not in season would not be as vibrant which is why I recommended frozen. And 16oz is 2 heaping cups.
Thanks!
This was so easy and so delicious! I didn’t want pasta the next day so I thinned it out and it made a wonderful soup!
★★★★★
ooo love that idea!!
This has become my hands-down favorite meal prep or weeknight dinner. I use the pre-cut raw butternut squash from Trader Joe’s and usually canned tomatoes, put it over chickpea pasta and it’s AMAZING!
wonderful!! thank you!!
So yummy! So easy! Hurry and make this delicious recipe!!!!
★★★★★
yay!! thank you!!
This recipe is wonderful! I love the idea of throwing it all onto a sheet pan and combining at the end! I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so I subbed with tomato paste and it turned out delicious!
★★★★★
wonderful!! so good to know it worked with the substitution!
This was so yummy and a hit with my whole family, my sister remade it and loved it too!! Super super easy and comforting <3
so wonderful!! Thank you!!
I am looking to try this recipe soon, but I want to add cheese to it. How would you recommend adding cheese to this recipe?
I would use either goat cheese for a tang or just some parm. Both can be stirred in at the end when the pasta and sauce are warm!
It’s a cold day here in Winnipeg, MB (-35C!!!) and was looking for a comfort food – I’m so glad I stumbled upon this recipe! Nothing better than the smell of roasting veggies on a today like today . I made slight modifications (added fresh rosemary + used vegetable broth vs. pasta water as I’m making this ahead of time for dinner later this week) – and it turned out delish – highly recommend!
WOW! COLD thank you!!